AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Not his…manhood. Oh, stars, am I really calling it that? His…length? His organ? I hate words. Who decided we should start naming things but make the names absolutely, excruciatingly embarrassing?
It’s notthatpart of him that’s making me writhe in mortification, though it’s long and thick enough to make me wonder how he carries it around all day. What I don’t understand is why it’s got a swelling right at the base. Men don’t have that. At least, I think they don’t. I’m not completely sure, though.
That bulge makes me feel strange. I shouldn’t be thinking about it, but suddenly it’s the only thing on my mind. Something inside me is highly interested in that specific part of him, and I’m not only curious about it, I’m so excited that I want to throw it a parade.
Zabriel reaches out a hand to me and waits for me to take it.
I cover my eyes, blushing red to the tips of my ears. “Please. You don’t want me. I promise you don’t. I’m damaged goods. I’m weak and injured. It’s best that I find my family and leave Maledin with them.”
“Why would you leave Maledin? The war is nearly over. The old king is dead and a new one will soon be crowned. There will never be another war in Maledin in your lifetime.”
I peep up at him through my fingers, and he’s still standing right there, lit up by moonlight. “Can you please cover yourself? I can’t think when you’re standing there with your whole everything out.”
“I am going to have to write myself a list in order to keep up with your demands,” he growls, an edge to his voice.
I flinch away from his sharp words. I suppose his soldiers jump to it whenever Commander Zabriel gives them an order. “If I go with you, then I’ll have to get down on my knees for your new king. I can’t bow to an invader king.”
“He never asked you to,” Zabriel snaps.
They never ask, but they expect. I turn away and wade toward the edge of the pool, but Zabriel reaches out and gently grasps my fingers.
“Listen to me, Isavelle. Please. Refugees are already passing through Lenhale to collect food and supplies to repair damage to homes and farms. Representatives from every town and village, including yours, are being asked to report to the capital for aid. The best place to find your family, if they plan on returning for you, is there.”
Ifthey plan on returning for me. Fear and loneliness tug at my chest. I haven’t seen my family in over a year, but they wouldn’t just leave me behind. Would they?
I glance at Zabriel’s fingers holding mine and try to sound like I believe it when I say, “Of course they plan on returning for me.”
“Then Lenhale is where you will find them or hear news of them. I don’t say this to persuade you to do what I want. You will see for yourself on this very day that I’m telling the truth. If you’re not satisfied, then we’ll think of something else. Together.”
I nibble on my lower lip. My village is five days’ journey on foot from the capital. If Zabriel is lying or tries to keep me prisoner, I can escape and find my way home on my own. “What will you expect from me while I’m in Lenhale? Soldiers expect spoils of war.”
“I don’t know whatspoils of warmeans.” He releases me and steps back. “If you’re worried that I’ll force you or hurt you, I claim nothing that you’re not willing to give. I can wait.”
I meet his eyes, which is difficult to do when I’m crouched in the water and my head doesn’t clear his thighs. “You’ll…wait? You presume I’ll change my mind?”
A smile spreads over his lips and he laughs darkly. Then he shouts, “Scourge,” making me jump. To me, he says, “Come on. It’s time to go.”
“Please turn around so I can get out of the water.”
He does as he is asked, and I’m treated to a view of his muscular ass. This man is a work of very touchable art, and I force myself to look away and concentrate on getting out of the water and pulling on my wet, ragged clothes so I don’t sneak looks at him.
The dragon clambers down the mountainside, his red eyes fixed on my naked body, and I hurry to finish getting dressed. Scourge’s eyes feel suspiciously like Zabriel’s eyes.
“I can call Scourge with my mind, but I thought you might get scared if he suddenly landed next to you.”
Well, that’s certainly true.
I wait with my back turned while Zabriel gets out of the water and pulls his clothes on. I can hear his armor clanking and the sound of leather bag flaps being opened and closed. Maybe he’s packing it all away rather than putting it back on.
There’s a soft step behind me. Zabriel puts a hand on my waist, and the next thing I know, I’m scooped up with his arm behind my knees. I’m suddenly very high off the ground, and I gasp and wrap my arms around his neck automatically.
This is the first time he’s held me when he’s not wearing armor, and his muscular body is yielding and inviting. The well-washed fabric of his black shirt feels soft against my fingers, and the nape of his neck is warm and smooth.
“I’ve been dying to hold you like this,sha’len,” he whispers against my ear, carrying me over to Scourge. His lips delicately trace my jaw. My throat. “You feel like heaven in my arms and you smell even better.” He buries his face in my neck and groans, “Fuck, you make my knot ache.”
His knot? What’s a knot? But I don’t have time to ask before he grabs hold of Scourge’s leather harness and carries me up onto the dragon.
As Scourge prepares to take off, I push my face in Zabriel’s shoulder and tighten my arms around his neck. “I really don’t like this. Doesn’t flying make you sick?”
